That is fine work, I especially admire the zebrawood plate!
Just Nice Butts!
- Thread starter Londonshooter
- Start date
That is fine work, I especially admire the zebrawood plate!
Thanks for the kind words. That Zebrawood ia a b!tch, so hard I had to use metalworking tools, files, etc, couldn't checker it. It's kind of gritty or fibrous but cuts clean with metal working tools and doesn't appear to be brittle. Got the wood at Windsor Plywood. The leather faced walnut plate turned out to be great in use.
maple_leaf_eh
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
With so many sportsmen switching to the new-fangled pinfire breech-loader, there must have been a certain amount of peer pressure. What to do if you couldn't afford the 10-25 guineas to buy a decent pinfire from one of the popular makers? Well, you could take your trusty muzzle-loader to Thomas George Sylven of London, and have him convert it to a pinfire, one of his specialties. A much cheaper option until a showy new gun could be had, and that old muzzle-loader wasn't going to get much use anymore!
This gun is a 16-bore converted around 1865 with a muzzle-loader barrel by Richard Seffens, who was in business in London in the 1820s (the original Seffens gun might have been a flintlock). What is interesting is that Sylven uses what we now know as the skeleton butt plate, with iron top and bottom and wood visible in the centre. This is the only pinfire I have ever seen with a skeleton plate.
Although I am a lousy shotgunner and only somewhat better with a rifle, I would feel humbled to carry a piece like this anywhere. I like the line on the breech in front of the hammer, and the work on the band is charming.
Vintage butt soles
Tried this earlier and it seems to have gone off into cyberland so I'll try it again.
The first group is all wood soles, left to right.......
1. Charles Hellis Featherweight, ca.1937. Simple grooved sole.
2. George Gibbs best quality sidelock, ca 1887-1896. Checkered sole.
3. William Moore And Grey best quality bar in wood ejector hammer gun, ca.1874-78. Checkered sole.
4. E J Churchill Regal 20 gauge, ca.1956. Checkered sole.
Look for the indications of plugs in the checkered soles where holes were bored and the gun balanced.
The second group has iron or fibre? Soles. Left to right........
1. Westley Richards best quality bar in wood conversion from pinfire (sorry Pinfire!) ca.1873. Iron plate.
2. Westley Richards best quality boxlock, ca.1879. Iron plate. Note the border engraving on both.
3. J D Dougall highest quality 16 gauge Lockfast hammer gun, ca.1882-84. Bakelite? Horn?
4. Joseph Lang Patent best quality hammerless trigger plate action, ca. 1882. Engraved heel & toe plates.
This gun is awaiting sympathetic restoration when my budget recovers.
If allowed, I can show the profile of these butts and others showing the quality of the wood.
Looks like the pictures attached in random fashion, sorry.
Tried this earlier and it seems to have gone off into cyberland so I'll try it again.
The first group is all wood soles, left to right.......
1. Charles Hellis Featherweight, ca.1937. Simple grooved sole.
2. George Gibbs best quality sidelock, ca 1887-1896. Checkered sole.
3. William Moore And Grey best quality bar in wood ejector hammer gun, ca.1874-78. Checkered sole.
4. E J Churchill Regal 20 gauge, ca.1956. Checkered sole.
Look for the indications of plugs in the checkered soles where holes were bored and the gun balanced.
The second group has iron or fibre? Soles. Left to right........
1. Westley Richards best quality bar in wood conversion from pinfire (sorry Pinfire!) ca.1873. Iron plate.
2. Westley Richards best quality boxlock, ca.1879. Iron plate. Note the border engraving on both.
3. J D Dougall highest quality 16 gauge Lockfast hammer gun, ca.1882-84. Bakelite? Horn?
4. Joseph Lang Patent best quality hammerless trigger plate action, ca. 1882. Engraved heel & toe plates.
This gun is awaiting sympathetic restoration when my budget recovers.
If allowed, I can show the profile of these butts and others showing the quality of the wood.
Looks like the pictures attached in random fashion, sorry.
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Ashcroft, what a great assortment. Someone on another thread expressed some surprise at a chequered wood butt on a recently built high end English gun. Like they had cheapened out. But those examples really show off the variety of what's been done. And BTW, while I didn't start the thread, I would love to see the lovely stocks that go along with each butt. I think John would agree with me on that.
Love the heel and toe caps on the Lang!
Love the heel and toe caps on the Lang!
Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Once we see the teaser butt pics then, yeah, I believe we all wish to see what goes with it. I used a butt to show off a case! Possibly, though, one should consider the "let's see some pics of your sxs and o/u" thread for an individual gun pictorial because that is such a classic summary/showcase of great guns.
BTW, Just Nice Butts is not "my" thread. The har-de-har guys owe us pics, though.
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Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
John, that Greener is so interesting. A steel plate engraved as if it were a skeleton and textured pattern on the metal of the inner part.
Here is the Thomas Woodward described earlier. Heel & toe obviously, not skeleton as advertised.
Here is the Thomas Woodward described earlier. Heel & toe obviously, not skeleton as advertised.
That big Greener butt plate is something else! Never seen anything like that, it may be unique. Then again, how many 4 bore shotguns have I seen? Love the T Woodward butt, well fitted heel and toe plates with well executed checkering is the pinnacle of elegance for me. It also takes more skill than anything else except perhaps an engraved skeleton buttplate.
John, that Greener is so interesting. A steel plate engraved as if it were a skeleton and textured pattern on the metal of the inner part.
Here is the Thomas Woodward described earlier. Heel & toe obviously, not skeleton as advertised.
Great photo, terrific chequering and the marble of the stock still comes through. A real beauty.
Having seen the T. Woodward gun before, using the description "pinnacle of excellence" is accurate!
I really, really wanted to post this butt...but I'm showing self-restraint
Husqvarna Butt
Husky Butt two.
View attachment 287259
Husqvarna Butt
Husky Butt two.
View attachment 287259
Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
A very understated yet practical sole treatment on an 1875 Horsley is this elegant steel butt plate.
Where is No. 2, I wonder?A very understated yet practical sole treatment on an 1875 Horsley is this elegant steel butt plate.
Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Steve, for once I can answer one of your ponderings.
According to correspondence from David Baker, Horsley and Son withheld the next serial number for when #2 would be commissioned. The order however was never placed. This is perhaps odd because I'm told the client held one of the best shooting grounds in the country.
Fascinating!
